


Deeper into the parallel universe I had found

by coldflashwavebaby



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Earth, Brainwashing, Dark Arrowverse, Dark Barry Allen/Dark Oliver Queen, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Justice Lords, Lobotomy, M/M, Medical Trauma, Multi, but they just talk about it so far, crossover fix-it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-13 19:06:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12990561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldflashwavebaby/pseuds/coldflashwavebaby
Summary: In another world, Barry and Len were married. In that world, Len died in Barry's arms. On that Earth, Barry and Oliver founded the Justice Lords and created 'world peace', at the expense of freedom.On Earth-1, Barry and Len have only been dating for a little over a year, the Flash is still a hero, and the world is running smoothly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kiiwishes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiiwishes/gifts).



> I literally changed directions with this about two weeks ago, so I've only written chapter one so far. I hope everyone loves it, though! (Especially minyard03!)

     The room was pitch black. Every time he opened his eyes, he wondered why he bothered. There was no light to adjust to. No windows, no cracks in the walls or door. For all he could tell, he was at the end of the universe, laying in nothingness.

        Then, the metal viewing slot would slide open. Light would pour in, burning his eyes, and he knew that he was either being fed, or taken away again. They mixed it up, so he never knew which one it was.

        It wouldn’t be so bad, if the people who dragged him away weren’t wearing the faces of the people he loved.

        “Move away from the door.”

        So, it was the labs for him. He swallowed hard and forced himself back, sliding roughly across the cement floor. Then, the door swung open.

        Kara was leaned against the wall across from the door, her arms crossed over her chest and a disinterested look on her face. Sara and Nate were the ones escorting him today.

        Ultragirl.

        Dark Canary.

        Sergeant Steel.

        It made his skin crawl. There was a time he would’ve fought them as they grabbed him by each arm and dragged him down the long hall towards the lab. Nowadays, he knew it was a waste of energy. Even if he were to break free, he was too weak to use his powers. Even if he was at full strength, he didn’t know where he was going, and they had anti-speedster weapons. And even if  _that_ wasn’t an issue, he still wouldn’t be able to get home. Home was far away, too far for even a speedster. He needed to be smart. He needed a plan.

        So, Barry let Dark Canary and Sergeant Steel carry him towards the lab, where the scientist was waiting to jab him and torture him until he broke. Barry didn’t know why they were doing what they were doing, but one thing was clear—they had a terrible plan for Earth-1.

                                                                             0000000

        “Who are you?”

        Barry’s veins burned from the chemicals they were injecting into his arm. He was laid out on a metal operating table, shirtless and drugged up with a dozen needles sticking into his skin. When he’d first arrived on this Earth, he’d fought his heart out. He refused to answer questions, spit in the scientists’ faces, cursed and threatened them. He’d lost track of how long he’d been trapped, but it was long enough that he chose his battles.

        “Barry Allen.”

        “Very good.” The scientist—he had to call her that in his head, because calling her Caitlin made it all too real—checked the level on the chemicals. “But you know that’s not what I’m asking, Barry. What’s your  _other_ name?”

        He swallowed hard. He gave the same answer every day, with the same results. “I’m the Flash.”

        The scientist sighed and began turning knobs on her control panel. Barry arched up from the metal table, more out of instinct than pain at this point, and gritted his teeth as his entire body was filled with liquid fire.

        The scientist nodded to the only other inhabitant in the room—Arson, Mick Rory’s doppelganger—who strode menacingly towards him. Barry pulled at the bands pinning his hands to the table as Arson’s hands started glowing red hot, like a branding iron.

        Without warning, the burning hand was pressed against his bare chest. This time, Barry let out a scream. “You are Impetus. The Flash doesn’t exist. You are a founding member of the Justice Lords. You are second to Orion our leader. This is your family. The Justice Lords are your family.”

        Every day, they repeated that mantra, like eventually Barry would believe them. But there was something pulling in the back of Barry’s mind, keeping him grounded in his identity. The silver pinky ring on his finger was gone, taken after he was kidnapped from his bed and brought to this accursed Earth, but Barry still mimed turning it. He remembered the day Len gave it to him, the day he came back from being blown up by the Oculus. Barry asked him out for a coffee as a ‘sorry I pushed you into being a hero and got you killed’ drink, but Len did him one better and upped it to a dinner date. When Barry asked why the date, Len had responded, “dying gives ya a unique outlook on life. From now on, I’m doing what I want to do, including the Flash.”

        They were happy. It’d been over a year since that night, and Barry hadn’t regretted it one day.

        Now, he was the only thing keeping Barry centered.

        “What is your name?”

        The heat was gone, but he knew it was only temporary. Instead of answering, he glared up at Arson. “Did you take my boyfriend? What have you done to Leonard Snart? I swear to God, if any of you hurt him…”

        “Calm down there, Red,” Mick replied with an eye roll. “There ain’t no Leonard Snart here. Calm your ass down.”

“No!” he shouted. “What did you do with him?!” It was the first emotional outburst he’d had in weeks. But he remembered the night he was taken vividly.

Barry had been laying in bed with Len after one of their dates turned into overnight stay. Len’s arm was wrapped around his waist, and his face buried in Barry’s neck. He’d fallen asleep first, which Barry preferred, because he loved to watch Len sleep. There was a peacefulness to him. The tension he carried melted away in his sleep, leaving his features relaxed and gentle. He’d been broken from his musings by the sound of someone moving around in his kitchen.

He considered waking Len up, but what if it was nothing? What could a weaponless Captain Cold handle that superpowered Flash couldn’t? He carefully pulled himself free and crept out of the bedroom, only to find Cisco standing in his kitchen. He relaxed, which had been his first mistake.

“Dude, a little warning next time? I thought you were an intruder.”

Then, he noticed that Cisco’s long hair was gone, replaced by a sheared cut. He was dressed in a supersuit completely different than Vibe’s, and he was staring at Barry like he was ready to fight if he needed to.

“What the hell--?” But that was all Barry had managed to get out when a shock shot through his system, like a taser cranked up to ten-thousand, until he finally lost consciousness.

“We ain’t done nothing to your husband!” Arson shouted back. “He’s dead. Cryo died months ago. He was murdered by Thawne and the Legion of Doom. He died in your arms!”

“That didn’t happen to me!” Barry argued. “We were wrapped up together in bed. You all kidnapped me!”

Arson opened his mouth to argue back, but the scientist shot him a warning glance. “Mick. Yelling isn’t going help. He needs some gentle convincing. Now, Barry, who are you?”

That went on for what felt like hours. Each time the scientist asked a question, he answered truthfully:

“Who are you?”

“The Flash.”

“Where are you?”

“Another Earth, locked away.”

With each answer, the scientist would turn the dial higher, and more serum would flood his body. He didn't fight his screams--showing pain wasn't a weakness. It gave him something else to focus on.

Once their session was done, Ultragirl and Dark Canary came back. The latter unlatched his arms and legs, and the former scooped him into her arms. This session had been particularly draining. He couldn't move his legs or arms.

Ultragirl carried him out of the room, down the dimly lit hall towards his cell. He waited to be thrown back inside, back into the dark, but instead, she continued on towards the other end of the hall.

The elevator.

He'd never left the lower level. In the time since he'd woken up in his dark hellhole, he never once was taken anywhere except for the lab.

Dark Canary stepped between them and the elevator and pressed a hand to the doors. They slid open at her touch. Before they stepped inside, she drew a syringe out of her suit.

“Sorry about this.” She didn’t sound very sorry at all. “But you aren’t allowed to see any of our base yet.”

“No!” He struggled against Ultragirl’s hold, but against Kryptonian strength, he was nothing. “No, don’t!” Canary raised the syringe to his neck, and the skin pinched. His body relaxed almost immediately.

“...no…” he heard himself whisper as darkness overtook him.

                                                                             0000000

He’d expected another lab or torture chamber when he opened his eyes. But what he was laying on was too soft. There was light in the room when he opened his eyes. A domed skylight was above his head, and he could see the stars above him.

He sat up. He was...in a bedroom. A white, modern furnished bedroom laying on crisp, white sheets and a soft mattress. He tried to jump out of bed, but his limbs were still too weak for any big movements or powers. Instead, he slowly slid off the mattress and crept across the room. When he caught his reflection in a mirror decorating the wall, he froze.

His hair was blonde. He wasn’t wearing the prison clothes he’d worn since he was taken--instead, he was wearing a pair of worn pajamas that were a size or two too big for him. There was a familiar scent on the fabric, but he couldn’t place it.

He frowned. What kind of new torture was this?

The sound of the wall behind him sliding open jarred him out of his thoughts. He spun around, ready to fight anyone who came inside.

There was no one, though. The wall stayed open, like an invitation Barry wasn’t sure he wanted to accept. Not seeing any other choices, expect to pettily sit in the room he was given like a child. At least he could figure out what the hell was going on and what he was doing on there.

Warily, he walked out the room, into a long, hotel-like hallway, with an open doorway at the end. It was nothing like the evil lair he’d been expecting. He followed the hall, keeping an eye out for any kind of traps or tricks.

When he came to the doorway, he stopped.

“Come in, Barry. I know you’re lurking outside the door.”

That voice…

Without thinking, Barry practically ran inside. He skidded to a stop at the sight in front of him.

It was...a dining room? There was a long table with all of Barry’s favorite foods--pizza, Chinese, Big Belly Burgers, french fries. Sitting at the head of the table, dressed in a blue dress shirt, was Oliver Queen. Barry almost ran to him, before remembering that this wasn’t his Earth, and the Oliver in front of him was not his friend and mentor.

Other Oliver smiled. “Sit down, Barry. We have some things to discuss.”

Barry looked around. The room was elegantly furnished. The windows were all high up around the top of the room, showing the same night sky he’d seen in his room. They were on the top floor of the base, and Barry could only assume who he was faced with.

“You’re Orion. The leader of the ‘Justice Lords’.”

The doppelganger gave a small bow of his head. “Pleased to be reaquainted with you, Impetus.”

“Stop calling me that!” Barry growled. “I don’t know what your game is, but whoever you all are trying to convince me I am, it’s not going to work. My friends are going to realize that I’m gone, and they’re going to come after me.”

Orion pursed his lips, his fork moving around a piece of...was it steak? On his plate. “Are you sure about that? Because I think you’re confused. We’re trying to help you, Barry. But we can’t help you if you don’t help us.”

He motioned to the chair beside him. “Take a seat. Let’s talk civiley.”

Barry clenched his fists. On one hand, he could easily overpower Orion and make a run for it. But what would it accomplish? He still wouldn’t know where he was, or what was going on, or how to get home. Maybe the way out was to play nice.

Reluctantly, he took the offered seat. Orion seemed pleased. “Let me get you something to eat and drink. I’m sure you’re exhausted from your memory sessions with Lady Frost and Arson.”

He didn’t reply, which didn’t seem to bother Orion. Instead, he pressed a button on the rim of the table. Within seconds, another doorway at the other end of the room slid open, and a man entered the room. Barry jumped to his feet, ready for a fight, but Orion held out a hand.

“He’s fine, Barry. He’s rehabilitated.”

Hunter Zolomon of all people strolled inside, dressed in a white button-up and black slacks. He bowed low to Barry and Orion.

“Please make a plate to Impetus, Zolomon,” Orion ordered. “And bring some wine, please.”

“Of course.” The other speedster straightened. If Barry weren’t a speedster himself, he would’ve missed the way blue lightning kicked off Zolomon as he flashed into action, piling an array of food on a plate and sliding it in front of Barry. Then, he was out of the room and back again, this time with two wine glasses and a bottle. He finally stopped at Orion’s side, carefully placing a glass in front of each of them and filling them halfway.

“Anything else, sir?”

Orion pursed his lips and shook his head. “Not for me. Barry?”

But Barry was too focused on Zolomon’s face. His eyes were blank. There was no feeling in them, no anything. Then, he noticed the scars near his eyes and barely resisted gagging.

“Oh my god...you  _lobotomized_ him.”

Orion snapped his fingers, and Zolomon disappeared in a storm of blue lightning. “Yes. And now he doesn’t want to kill anyone. He’s no longer a threat to you.”

Barry swallowed hard. “That’s...how could you think that’s okay? How many people have you done that to?”

“Only the truly dangerous ones,” Orion assured. “Dahrk, Thawne, Chase, Slade, Zolomon, Merlyn, Cupid, Mardon, Jesse…”

“Those are people!” Barry argued. “You destroyed part of their brains! How can you justify that?”

“It was your idea, Barry.”

He froze in place. No. Even if it was his doppelganger, he wouldn’t…

“After your husband was killed, you went on a rampage. When you finally caught up to the Legion, they tried convincing you that they weren’t responsible. But you knew they were lying, and that Thawne would never stop until he took every bit of happiness in your life. So, you vibrated you hand, and gave him a speedster lobotomy, right there in front of the rest of his crew. The others all surrendered, but we all made a pact that day that we wouldn’t hide in the shadows anymore. We would protect the Earth from threats in the light, where everyone saw us, and we would make sure that villains never hurt anyone again. So, you and I founded the Justice Lords.”

Barry tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry. He lunged for his glass of wine and chugged it down, but it didn’t help.  _That wasn’t me_ , he reminded himself.  _Just like Orion isn’t Oliver, and Len isn’t dead. It’s all on another Earth._

“I want to go home…” he whispered.

Oliver sighed. “Barry, you  _are_  home. You just don’t remember. Six months ago, we discovered another Earth. This one was almost identical to ours, but our doppelgangers were fighting a losing battle against the villains. Sure, they won some, here and there, but they lost so much. We all knew that we could help them, so we sent you as a spy to the other Earth. You posed as their Barry, but something happened a few weeks ago. You were struck down in a fight with Mardon, and temporarily lost your memory.”

Barry remembered that. Mardon, Bivolo, and Peekaboo teamed up to rob a bank, so Barry, Cisco, and Wally went out to stop them. While Cisco brought down Bivolo and Wally finished cuffing Peekaboo, Mardon thought he’d take advantage and hit them with a lightning bolt. Barry took the strike instead, which knocked him unconscious for about seven hours and left him loopy for about twelve. Eventually, he’d gotten all of his memories back and everything turned out okay.

At least, he thought so.

“When that happened, you started thinking that you  _were_  Earth-1’s Barry Allen. We knew we needed to extract you. But we also knew you wouldn’t remember any of us, so I had Caitlin try to jog your memories. I thought that, maybe, you and I sitting down, having dinner like old times would help.”

It made sense, sort of. Except that Barry was absolutely positive he was Earth-1 Barry Allen. He remembered everything--breakfasts with his mom, boxing lessons with Iris, movie nights with Cisco, lazy mornings with Len. He couldn’t remember anything from this Earth. If he were being honest, he didn’t want to remember anything. He’d rather be Earth-1 Barry than Earth whatever this was.

He shook his head. “No. This is wrong. I’m the Flash. I’m not Impetus or whatever you think I am. You’re trying to trick me.”

Instead of arguing, Oliver pulled a small remote out of his pocket. Silently, he pressed a button, and a holographic image appeared above the table.

It was STAR Labs. Cisco was at his desk in the cortex, arguing with Harry about something. Caitlin was rolling her eyes in the corner. Iris was high-fiving Wally about something. And Len was leaned against the wall, right beside where the mannequin for the Flash suit was. Yellow lightning suddenly flooded the room, and the Flash suit appeared on the mannequin.

Barry could barely believe his eyes as another Barry stepped up in Len’s space, pressing a kiss against his lips.

He tensed. Surely, Len would know the difference? That Barry was a fake.  _He_ was the real Barry Allen. Wasn’t he?

But Len didn’t draw his cold gun or push other Barry away. Instead, he deepened the kiss, leading the rest of the team to groan with various levels of disgust.

“I know it’s hard for you to let go of him,” Orion said sadly. “You loved your husband, and going to an Earth where he’s alive and loves you must have been harder than anything you’ve ever done. But it’s not real. You have to come back to reality, Barry. We need you here.”

Barry continued to stare at the image. It was all so familiar--somewhere inside, he  _knew_  that was his life. But what Orion was saying made sense. What if he was this other Barry Allen?

No.

No, he couldn’t be.

His eyes darted to the steak knife beside Orion’s plate. If he was anything like Oliver, he’d be ready for an attack. But maybe, if Barry had enough speed behind it…

Orion barely had time to react before the knife was in Barry’s hand and at his throat. It was...it was different than how Barry usually worked, but he needed to get back home. There was another him on his Earth, kissing his boyfriend and pretending that he belonged there.

His grip tightened on the knife. “Stand up...slowly.”

Orion held up his hands and complied. Barry moved to stand behind him, repositioning the knife so it was pressed against the back of Orion’s neck. It would be harder to disarm him that way. “Now,” he ordered, “you’re going to take me to the elevator and lead me to the front door, or I’ll shove this into your brain stem.”

The scary part was that Barry wasn’t bluffing. When had violence become so easy for him?

Orion chuckled. “Oh, I have no doubt. I’ve seen you do worse. But, there might be a little problem with you just walking out of here.”

Barry stepped closer, so he was pressed against Orion’s back. “And what’s that?”

Wordlessly, Orion reached down to press another button on his remote. The wall behind the table slid down, revealing a floor-to-ceiling window. It’s what was outside, though, that caught Barry’s attention.

It wasn’t nighttime. They were floating above the Earth in some sort of satellite, and he was staring into the stars of space.

Unfortunately, his surprise was all Orion needed to attack. Without warning, he reached behind him and grabbed the arm holding the knife, yanking it forward so that Barry’s body collided with his. While Orion was prepared for the impact, Barry was caught by surprise. The knife fell to the floor, and Barry fell backwards, barely able to steady himself on his feet.

“I don’t want to fight you, Barry,” Orion said. “I care about you. Don’t make me hurt you.”

But Barry had had enough of this Earth. He ran forward as fast as he could without using his powers. Orion was prepared for it, though. Instead of darting out of the way, he grabbed Barry around the waist when he was in reaching distance and threw him against the table.

“Barry, calm down!”

Barry grabbed a fork off the table and threw it, but Orion avoided it easily. The sound of the door sliding open behind Barry drew his attention, and Dark Canary, Arson, and the other Cisco,  _Tremor_ , came running inside. Orion held out a hand.

“No, I have this!”

Barry stepped away from the table, so his back wasn’t to any of them. He wasn’t going to let them take him again. Orion moved, but, instead of rushing Barry, he grabbed the remote off of the table and pressed another button.

The picture on the projection changed.

_ “Lenny, stop it!”  _ He turned at the sound of his own voice. It was some kind of home movie, with the camera shoved in the other Barry Allen’s face. He smiled as the movie-him pushed at the camera with a laugh.  _“Come on, we talked about this. No technology on the honeymoon!”_

_ “Can’t blame me for wanting to film that gorgeous face,”  _ a deep, drawling voice replied. Barry’s stomach lurched. It was right after he and Len got married. They went on a month long honeymoon cruise, with no Impetus or Cryo business. He was so happy then.  _They_ were happy.

Barry shook himself. No. That wasn’t him. It was the other Barry.

_ Then why do you remember?  _ His mind supplied.  _If it wasn’t you, how do you know all about Impetus and Cryo’s marriage? Why do you know that they were only married for a year before the Legion of Doom murdered Len?_

He hadn’t even noticed he was falling until strong arms wrapped around his waist, keeping him from hitting the ground. Oliver nodded for one of the others to bring a chair for Barry to sit in, which Mick complied.

“You okay, kid?” he asked as Oliver helped him into the chair.

Barry nodded. “I...my head…” He dropped his head into his hands, a lifetime of memories flooding his brain--marrying Len, holding his body in his arms, stopping Thawne, starting the Justice Lords...all the way up to going undercover on Earth-1.

“I remember,” he whispered. He looked up at his friends and teammates. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me…”

Cisco laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, dude. We get it. You got to see him again. We don’t blame you for getting a little lost.”

Oliver dropped down to his knees beside Barry and took his hand. “The important thing is that you’re here now with us, Barry.”

Barry filled with warmth, something he always felt recently whenever Oliver took his hand. “Thank you, Ollie.”

His friend gave him a nod. “Do you want to go back to your room and lay down for a while? I’m sure this experience has taken a lot out of you. We can debrief tomorrow sometime, and go over Earth-1’s defenses.”

“We’re going to need a good plan if we’re going to save their Earth,” Barry agreed. “They’re in the same place we were--weak and almost ready to fall apart.”

“We’ll save them,” Sara spoke up.

He sighed happily, looking over his team. He knew they’d have it all under control. The Justice Lords wouldn’t stop until Earth-1 was as safe as their Earth.

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Oliver waited until the door closed behind Barry before speaking. “It worked.”

Sara snorted. “Honestly, I can’t believe it. By the way he fought the doc’s treatments, I thought we would have to kill him.”

Oliver flinched at the thought of putting an arrow through any Barry Allen. “I knew it wouldn’t escalate to that. We just had to find the right kind of stimuli to get it to work.”

“Cait and I tried everything,” Mick growled. “What made the drugs finally kick in?”

“Adrenaline,” Oliver answered. “Endorphins. The chemicals in his brain mixed with the drugs Caitlin gave him. Now, he’ll think all of those memories we’ve had J’onn feeding him while he slept are his, and that the Barry Allen on Earth-1 is the right Barry. While we have him busy here, Impetus will start laying the groundwork on Earth-1 for our invasion.”

Mick and Sara nodded in understanding. Cisco remained suspiciously quiet, but Oliver ignored it. “You can all head out, if you’d like. I’m sure Caitlin wants to spend the afternoon with her husband and wife.”

That was all it took for Sara and Mick. Caitlin was a weakness for them--they both loved her with all their hearts, and would give anything for her. Oliver was good at spotting people’s weaknesses. He was good at taking advantage of them, exploiting them for the good of his cause. Sometimes, he used it for personal reasons, too.

“Is that the whole reason?” Cisco asked. He was still standing in the same spot as when Barry left, his eyes fixed on the closed door. “Your invasion? Is that why you’ve dragged some other Barry here and brainwashed him?”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Something to say?”

Cisco, though, was completely unintimidated by Oliver. He may have been one of the most powerful men in the world, but Cisco was the second most powerful meta, the most powerful being Barry after he’d tapped into the Speed Force. “I have eyes. I’ve seen how you watch both Barrys. It’s a little funny to me how, after everything, things just seem to be going your way. Our Barry does whatever you ask--he helped you create this world order in his grief, which I only went along with for him. I know about the late nights he spends in the planning chambers with you…”

“He wants to discuss his grief. He lost his husband, the same way I lost my wife.”

“But we both know that’s not why you do it.” Cisco was unapologetic. He stood tall, looking every bit the powerful meta he was. “All I’m saying,  _Orion_ , is that I’m keeping an eye on you. You aren’t fooling me.”

With that, a breach opened behind Cisco, and he disappeared from the room. Oliver considered worrying about the threat--Cisco lost something in the fight for peace, too, and he still blamed Oliver for it--but he put a pin in it. His main concern was Barry and the invasion. He pressed a button on the remote, pulling up the footage from Earth-1. In the six weeks since Barry arrived there, no one suspected anything was wrong.

Oliver relaxed. In another week, the invasion would begin, and he would have everything he wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

Len was asleep, lying on his stomach with one hand tucked under his pillow, where he used to keep his pistol, the other draped over his lover’s waist. 

 

Impetus sighed happily. He missed lying beside Len, watching him sleep. It was the only time he was ever relaxed, aside from post-orgasm. It reminded him how much he missed his Len, how much he loved him. He leaned down to press a kiss to Len’s brow. Len snuffled, but didn’t wake. 

 

Reluctantly, he moved Len’s arm off of him and swung a leg off the bed. He needed to check in with Orion. He slipped out of the room and into the bathroom, locking it behind him. Then, he activated the communication lenses in his eyes. 

 

“Impetus calling Orion. Oliver, are you there?”

 

It took a few seconds before Oliver’s face appeared in his eyes. He looked much happier than he had the last few check-ins. “Did it work?” Impetus asked. “Did you finally get through to the other me?”

 

“Of course. I told you it wouldn’t be an issue. He was just stubborn, like you.”

 

Impetus laughed. “Does that mean the plan is moving forward?”

 

Oliver nodded. “Does anyone suspect you?”

 

Impetus snorted. “Of course not. They have no reason to. As far as they know, their Barry never left.”

 

“And Snart?”

 

Impetus paused. At first, it’d been hard to stay around his husband’s doppelganger. They weren’t even married in this universe, though Impetus had found a ring hidden in the case for the cold gun, and oh, had that brought back memories. 

 

It seemed like yesterday that Lenny had proposed in Atlantis while they were assisting Arthur and Mera with some political nonsense. He’d found the most beautiful spot in the whole city, brought Barry there, and proposed with his grandmother’s ring. He still had it, tucked away in the bottom of his drawer. 

 

The ring that Len had hidden away was the same one. It hurt Barry’s heart to know that he was in the way of another Barry’s relationship with Len, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop falling in love with him all over again. 

 

“He’s as oblivious as the others.”

 

“You’ve kept your cover with him?”

 

He understood why Oliver would have doubts, but he would never reveal himself to Len. He couldn’t stand the betrayal and hatred. “Absolutely.”

 

Oliver nodded. “We’re starting the plan tomorrow morning. Will you be in position?” 

 

“Yes, Orion.” 

 

He disconnected and sighed. How badly he wanted to be this Earth’s Barry. 

 

\----------

 

Once they were disconnected, Oliver left his private office to join the new Barry in the War Room. He was bent over the maps of Alt-Earth, marking places that were prime locations to hit. Tremor was behind him, smiling sadly at him. 

 

He didn’t trust Tremor. Never had. He was married to the second in command of the resistance, after all. He still admitted to anyone who asked that he loved him, and would leave the Justice Lords in a second if Barry didn’t need him. 

 

Barry was the only reason he kept him. When Snart died, Barry fell apart. Oliver may have used that to his advantage, but Tremor was the person who kept him from going too far, that Barry fell on when everything became too much. Tremor knew it, and he knew that his best friend needed him. 

 

Sometimes, though, Oliver would catch Tremor glaring at him, like he knew all the secrets in his quiver. Like he knew the truth about Leonard Snart and the Legion of Doom, about Black Canary, about the Justice Lords. All it would take would be for him to feel that Oliver no longer had Barry’s best interests at heart, or for him to find evidence…

 

Barry raised his head and grinned. “Hey, Ollie. Everything okay?”

 

Oliver smiled back. “Yeah, just checking on the political climate in Atlantis. Everything going to plan?”

 

Barry nodded, turning back to the maps. Oliver moved into Barry’s space, pushing in as close as he could get. Barry didn’t seem to notice, but Tremor narrowed his eyes. 

 

It was no secret, at least to everyone besides Barry, that Oliver had craved him for a long time. Since long before the Justice Lords, before either of them were even married. He desired him in every way he could have him--mind, body, soul, heart. Leonard Snart already held so much of that by the time he made his move, and he married Laurel in hopes that it would be enough. 

 

It wasn’t.

 

When Laurel died, Barry spent every night for three months at his house. It ended when Snart proposed. 

 

Then, Snart was killed, and suddenly, Barry was like putty in his hands, ready to mold into whatever Oliver wanted. Except that heart, which stayed with the memories of his husband in ways that Oliver had never anticipated.

 

Those didn’t exist with  _ this  _ Barry, though. He may have had Impetus’ memories, but the emotions behind them were muted. This Barry was all his. He could shape him and manipulate him to his heart’s content. 

 

He dropped his hand to rest around Barry’s waist. “So, me, Tremor, Dark Canary, and Arson are going to go to the other world and start the invasion. You, Ultragirl, and Lady Frost are going to stay behind.” Barry opened his mouth to argue, but Oliver put a finger to his lips. “I need someone I can trust on this side. You’re my most trusted friend and team member. If we both leave, the resistance will take advantage and mount an attack.”

 

Tremor snorted, but Oliver ignored him. 

 

Barry frowned in thought, before nodding. “That makes sense. Okay. I’ll have Felici-- _ Motherboard _ monitor communications and have some of our best on call, just in case you need back-up.”

 

They wouldn’t. Not with their man on the inside. Barry didn’t know that, though. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

They fell into silence for a few seconds, Oliver making sure he held Barry’s eyes while the speedster’s breath caught in his throat. 

 

It was broken by the sound of Tremor clearing his throat. “Alright, well if that’s all, I have a dinner date.”

 

Suspicion raised the hairs on Oliver’s neck. “Oh, with who?” 

 

He scanned for some sign of nerves, but Tremor stayed as cool as a cucumber. “Some guy I met at a bar last week. I thought...maybe it’s time to move on.”

 

Barry smiled sympathetically, but Oliver still didn’t trust him. But there was no evidence that said Cisco Rathaway was a traitor, so he let him breach out. The good news was that it left Barry alone with Oliver, so he could complete some part of his plan. 

Barry’s attention returned to the maps, but Oliver pushed the papers away. “Ollie,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “what are you doing?”

 

“I think we’ve planned enough for tonight,” Oliver lied. “There’s something I want to talk to you about before I go on this mission.”

 

Barry furrowed his brow, though his nervous smile remained. “Ollie, you’re freaking me out. You’re acting like you’ll die on this mission. Are you forgetting that those versions of us aren’t even Justice Lords? They still keep to their codes and ethics.” 

 

“I know.” Oliver pretended to sigh deeply. “I just...I almost lost you to that world, to that other Barry’s memories. We don’t know what will happen.”

 

He raised a hand to place on Barry’s cheek and, without waiting for permission, he surged forward to take his lips. Barry stiffened under his hands, but Oliver didn’t let that discourage him. He moved so Barry’s back was pinned to the desk and deepened the kiss. 

 

He wound his arms tightly around Barry’s lithe body and pressed in even further like he could consume him just through the kiss. Barry hadn’t responded yet, but he also hadn’t pushed him away. Oliver moaned. 

 

“Oliver…” Barry gasped when he pulled away for air, but Oliver silenced him with a finger on his lips. 

 

“Leonard’s gone,” he whispered. “Laurel’s gone.” He stole another deep, hungry kiss. “All of this world was for you. So you’d never feel that pain again.” 

 

He moved his lips down to Barry’s neck, purring when he tilted his head to give Oliver more room. Barry panted heavily, his hands shooting up to wind his fingers in Oliver’s hair. “It’s all for you…” Oliver said against his skin, before nipping a bruise into it. 

 

He pushed Barry back, so he was laying across the table, right beside their plans to conquer his Earth. He couldn’t wait any longer. He’d been starving himself for nearly a decade. He would fuck Barry Allen right on the table of his War Room, and then invade his Earth the next day.

 

\----------

 

Cisco arrived at Christo’s Italian wearing the new suit he’d purchased and a small grin on his face. He headed for his usual table--the one in the back corner, where no one would be able to take advantage and attack him from behind. 

 

There was a familiar face at the table--he hadn’t seen it in nearly five years, and it made Cisco roll his eyes as he slid into the booth. 

 

“Really? Axel Walker? That’s who you chose to come as?”

 

His date shrugged. “I can’t very well show my own face now, can I, Francisco? Your Justice Lord friends made sure of that.”

 

The waiter approached about that time, and Cisco ordered both of their usuals and a bottle of wine. Once he walked away, his date let out a low whistle. 

 

“Going for the expensive wine tonight. Must be really good news or really bad.” 

 

“We’re invading the other Earth tomorrow.” The other man’s eyes widened as Cisco explained. “They finally cracked the other Barry. He thinks he’s from here, except Queen made him forget his grief towards Len so he can bang him.”

 

“That’s sick.”

 

“Yeah,” Cisco agreed.

 

“So what are you going to do about it?”

 

Cisco froze, mid-movement. His date shrugged. 

 

“I mean, the whole reason you and I are here is because of Barry--you wanted to protect him from Queen. You suspected Orion a long time ago, and I supported your loyalty to Barry, even while I fought the Justice Lords. But now, your worst fears have come true. Now it’s time to prove if you’re still the man I married--are you going to help him or take the easy way out?”

 

Cisco stared at his husband, shock and confusion at his blunt facts still getting him after all those years. “Damn, Hart. Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

 

“Fine.” Hartley leaned forward, dragging his foot up the inseam of Cisco’s pants. He may have been shielding his face with Axel’s but Cisco could still see that green glint in his eyes. “What if I told you that I love you with every fraction of my heart, and that, if you succeed in doing this…” he dragged his foot just a little bit higher, “I’ll show you all kinds of gratitude and appreciation?”

 

Cisco shuddered with arousal. “Damn...you know how to make an ultimatum. Any chance I could have a little sample of that before I leave?”

 

Hartley pursed his lips. “Maybe...you think Orion has your apartment bugged?”

 

“Not as well as he’d like to think,” Cisco replied. “I learned from the best, after all. I don’t know if you know this, but my husband’s kind of a genius.”

 

Hartley blushed, and Cisco reached across the table to take his husband’s hand. There was still a ring on his left ring finger--no matter what face he projected on his, Hartley never took his ring off. Just like Cisco never removed his. 

 

The war had destroyed so much--loyalties, lives, hearts. But, despite it all, Cisco and Hartley refused to let it destroy them. 

 

\----------

 

Len woke up to the smell of bacon frying and eggs cooking. He frowned. He didn’t know why the thought of Barry cooking him breakfast was so strange, except that he’d never done so, and suddenly, six weeks ago, he started waking up early every morning and cooking a feast. 

 

He hadn’t even known Barry knew  _ how  _ to cook. Something in the back of his head told him not to mention it though. Just accept it and keep a log of the strange things Barry had been doing lately. He slept on the right side of the bed instead of the left. In the shower, he hummed pop songs instead of show tunes. He took his shoes off right-left instead of left-right. Not to mention his hair seemed a shade lighter than normal. They hadn’t gone further than making out in weeks, where they usually couldn’t keep their hands off each other once they got home. 

 

All in all, it was strange, but Len didn’t know what it all meant. Was Barry going through something? He wanted to ask, but every time he tried, something told him no, hold off. 

 

He climbed out of bed and padded out the bedroom door. Barry was humming Lady Gaga under his breath while he moved the bacon out of the pan and onto a plate. He was dressed in a t-shirt and tight, black jeans, which wasn’t an un-Barry thing to wear. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe there was nothing wrong after all.

 

Barry glanced back and smiled widely. “Morning, Snowflake.” 

 

That was another thing. Suddenly, Barry was into pet names other than the usual ‘babe’ and ‘sweetie’, or Len’s more often ‘Scarlet’. Not that Barry hated pet names, but he’d never given Len one. Just, all of a sudden, he was ‘Snowflake’. 

 

“Hey, babe,” he replied, smiling back. He walked over and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek. “Cooking again?”

 

“Yeah.” A pink blush lit up his cheeks. “I just...I love you so much. I don’t say it enough, but...you’re my world.” 

 

Len’s stomach twisted in circles. There was a heaviness and sincerity behind his words like it was something he needed Len to understand. 

Barry lowered his eyes. “If I lost you…”

 

“You won’t,” Len promised, brushing his fingers against Barry’s cheek. “I know you lost your mom and dad, but that doesn’t mean that everyone you love is going to leave you. I promise I will die at a very old age, in my sleep, and my last words will be a pun.”

 

Barry laughed quietly, and Len kissed his forehead. 

 

“Now, let’s eat this delicious breakfast you’ve made us, and then get back down to STAR Labs. Caitlin is giving Iris her first ultrasound today, and I know you don’t want to miss that.”

 

There was a twitch in Barry’s smile at the mention of Iris, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. “Of course.” 

 

It was two hours later when they arrived in STAR Labs. Iris was laying on the bed in Caitlin’s medical lab, the doctor standing over her with a smile while Cisco grinned at the pair. 

 

“It’s nice of her to do this,” Len said, squeezing Barry’s hand. Since she found out about Killer Frost being hereditary, Caitlin refused to have babies of her own. After Cisco proposed to her, Iris offered to be their surrogate as a wedding present. 

 

“Yeah,” Barry replied sharply. 

 

Another checkmark in the box--Barry had been cold towards Iris recently. She’d caught onto it as well, but neither she nor Len wanted to mention it. She thought that maybe he felt left out with her sharing something so intimate with Cisco and Caitlin. Len wasn’t so sure. 

 

He pulled Barry towards the medical room. Barry stopped just outside the door, an uncomfortable smile on his face. “I’ll wait here,” he said. “I don’t want to get in Cait’s way.”

 

Len stayed with him while Caitlin dropped the gel on Iris’ exposed stomach--she wasn’t showing too much yet, but there was a little pooch that made Cisco and Caitlin light up. Iris shivered at the coolness, and Caitlin put the wand on her stomach. 

 

The heartbeat was first. Then, on the screen beside Caitlin, a black and white blob appeared. The couple started to tear up. Iris stared joyously at the image. When Len glanced at Barry, though, his face was blank. No joy or happiness at his best friends’ baby. When he noticed Len looking, he lit up and started aweing it. 

 

Len frowned. Another check-mark. 

 

\----------

 

When Barry walked into the war room, where Ultragirl, Steel, Lady Frost, Arson, Motherboard, Tremor, and Dark Canary were waiting around the planning table, he felt uneasy and a little embarrassed. After all, less than twelve hours before, he’d been laid out on that table, being fucked by their leader. 

 

Oliver had taken him back to his room right after, spending the whole night worshipping him and whispering about how long he’d wanted him. Truth be told, before Len died, Barry had never even considered Oliver that way. He’d been so focused on Len that he’d never given anyone else a second look. It’d always been them. 

 

The way Ollie took care of him after, though, making sure Barry ate and slept, and that Len got justice brought them closer than friends. Barry had just been too consumed by grief to see what was right in front of him. 

 

The only person who seemed to react to Barry’s slight dishevelment was Cisco. He clenched his fists but didn’t say anything. Barry knew that everyone in the room could tell what he’d been up to, but Cisco was the only person who seemed to care. 

 

Cisco didn’t like Oliver. Barry picked up on that a long time ago. He blamed the Justice Lords for his divorce and for Decibel being thrown into hiding. Never Barry, though. It made him feel guilty, made him wish that Cisco would run away and be with who he loved. Life was too short to choose politics over that. 

 

He walked over to stand by his best friend, his rock through it all, and took his hand. 

 

That’s when Orion chose to make his grand entrance. “The plan starts simple--Tremor will vibe me, Sara, and Mick into the other Earth’s STAR Labs. That’s where the Flash and his team are headquartered.”

 

He looked to Barry, who took his cue. “The doppelgangers that you’ll encounter will be mine, Cisco’s, Caitlin’s, and Wither’s. Probably her father’s, too.” 

 

Usually, he felt a swell of anger and hatred whenever he or anyone else mentioned Iris, aka Wither, leader of the resistance. She’d done more than just betray him--she saved villains from justice and put them into hiding. She’d nearly killed Gladiator and Banshee during their patrols once. She’d tried to kill him, too. 

 

She’d claimed that it was a kindness. He hated that sometimes he believed her.

 

“Leonard Snart’s doppelganger will also be there, so don’t get distracted,” he warned, trying to push memories of his foster sister away. He didn’t feel the same hatred. Instead, he felt sad, heartbroken, and like he was far from his family. 

 

Orion nodded. “Once we’re there, we’re going to set these.” He held up breaching bombs--mass breach makers that were virtually undetectable and could transport an army in seconds. “We won’t set them until we receive word from Motherboard that it’s time.”

 

Felicity gave him a nod, her black hair falling into her face.

 

“While we’re there, we cannot raise suspicion. We’re there to explore another Earth, not send our army through.”

 

Dark Canary and Arson both groaned, but nodded in agreement. 

 

He turned his attention to Barry. “You’ll stay and monitor the resistance while we’re gone?”

 

Barry nodded. “I’ll have O.M.A.C and Ultragirl do a fly-by over the city. Banshee and Gladiator can take the streets. Felicity can use the CCTV to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. We’ve got this.” 

 

Oliver grinned slyly at him, and Barry could only imagine what was going through his mind. Cisco cleared his throat, breaking the moment between them. 

 

“Are we doing this?” 

 

Barry turned to his best friend with a laugh. “Yeah. Just be careful, Cisco. There’s a Hartley Rathaway over there, too. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

 

A sad smile stretched on Cisco’s lips, and he pulled Barry into a hug. “You be careful, too.”

 

Barry snorted. “Cisco, I’m staying here. What’s the worst that could happen to me?”

 

A grim expression crossed Cisco’s face, and if Barry had looked back, all the others except Orion had the same expression. 

 

“Just...I love you, man.” He gave Barry one more pat on the back before heading for the war room door, Sara and Mick at his heels. Orion hung behind, taking the time to press a kiss to Barry’s lips. 

 

“I’ll be back for you.”

 

He should’ve taken it as a romantic goodbye--after all, it was something he’d heard Len say or something he’d say to Len anytime they went on a dangerous mission. But for some reason, cold fear shot through his spine, like it was a threat. 

 

Orion gave him one last grin before following the rest of his team out. 


	3. Chapter 3

The breach alarm was loud and piercing. It hadn’t gone off in forever--anyone whose vibe frequencies were approved by Cisco didn’t set it off. Len’s hand went for his gun, Cisco went for his gloves, and Iris pulled her big gun out from under the medical bed.

 

And, like, did she just stash those everywhere?

 

Barry disappeared in a flash of lightning, and when he came back, he had a smile on his face. “Guys,” he said, “you need to see this.”

 

They followed him down to the Speed Lab, where there were four people waiting for him.

 

The first was Oliver Queen, only with a thicker beard, no mask, and an armored Green Arrow costume.

 

The second was Sara Lance, only her hair was cut to her shoulders and her costume was black with gold trim.

 

The third was the least shocking. Mick, wearing a black v-neck t-shirt and black jeans. The only shocking thing was that he wasn’t wearing gloves, and his scars were on display for everyone to see.

 

Lastly was Cisco. His hair was shorter, his costume almost exactly like their Cisco’s except for the bright yellow accents and hood.

 

Iris was the first to speak. “Who the hell are you and why are you here?”

 

One thing Len loved about his hopefully future sister-in-law--she was fierce and protective. Against the strangers, she was in the front, weapon raised and four months pregnant, and Len had no doubt she’d drop each of them if they were a threat.

 

He raised his own gun. “What she said.”

 

Queen held his hands up in surrender. “We come in peace. You have nothing to worry about.”

 

“Well, pardon our chilly reception,” Len replied, firing up his gun, “but we’ve been burnt by strangers from other Earths before.”

 

“Like Zoom,” Cisco said.

 

“And Black Siren,” Iris added.

 

“And the Nazis,” Caitlin finished.

 

Len shrugged. “Like I said.”

 

He was fully prepared to fire until Barry jumped between the two groups. “Whoa, whoa, guys! Shouldn’t we at least hear what they have to say?”

 

He gave Len the biggest puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen--and Lisa had some big puppy dog eyes growing up. Len narrowed his eyes, looking between his speedster and the strangers. He looked to Iris, who gave him a shrug like, ‘it’s your call’.

 

He sighed and, against his better judgment, lowered his gun. “Fine. You have twenty seconds to convince us you aren’t here to destroy us. If we don’t believe you, you’re going back through that breach with a couple less fingers and toes than you arrived with.”

 

Queen nodded and lowered his hands. “Fair enough. We come from a world similar to yours, only we’ve created an era of peace and prosperity. No more villains torturing and killing people, no more pain, just peace for all. Except, some don’t want our peace. Radicals have been threatening it lately, and when the authorities tried to apprehend them, they escaped through a breach. We think they came here, to this Earth. All we want is to get them off your Earth and in the hands of the proper authorities.”

 

Len stared at Queen, searching for some sign of a tell, but it was hard. Queen, even on their Earth, was an excellent liar. You had to be very close to him to be able to pick apart his tells. Len never had the ‘pleasure’.

 

Iris nodded for him and Barry to huddle closer to her, Cisco, and Caitlin. They circled up. “Think he’s telling the truth?”

 

Caitlin shrugged. “I can never tell when he’s lying. Once, Oliver told me that he had an arrow for every meta he’d ever faced that could kill them, and I still don’t know if he was joking.”

 

“I could always Vibe him,” Cisco suggested. “But the other Cisco might have screwed up their frequencies so it won’t be accurate.”

 

Iris sighed, and Len felt for her. It was hard being team leader. “Barry, what do you think?”

 

Barry pursed his lips and glanced over at the breachers. “I mean, if they were planning on hurting us, wouldn’t they have sent more metas? I mean, Len or Killer Frost could take out their Cisco, and Iris, Cisco, and I could easily take out the others. They had to know that coming in. They could’ve brought a speedster or their Caitlin or any other meta. But they only brought the one who could bring them here and take them home. That has to mean something, right?”

 

Len had to agree with his boyfriend. There were a lot of metas that could do some damage, and they’d chosen to bring those with less firepower. Then again, something in Len’s stomach was still turning.

 

He trusted Barry. Despite all his recent weirdness, Barry was the man he loved, the one he was planning to propose to.

 

He shook his head. “Fine. But they’re on a short leash.”

 

Barry lit up and swooped in to kiss Len on the cheek. “Love you, Snowflake.” He turned away, walking over to presumably tell the strangers their decision, and Cisco frowned.

 

“Snowflake?”

 

Len shrugged. “It’s a new thing, I guess.” He observed his boyfriend talking with the new Queen and Cisco, while Sara and Mick hung around weirdly. They seemed awfully chummy with each other. He creased his brow...but shook the thought away. What was he thinking? That Barry had turned on them or something? That he was being mind-controlled or was a clone? He was turning into Cisco with all his conspiracy theories.

 

Barry’s conversation quickly ended, and he led Queen over to their group. “These radicals are dangerous,” Queen told them, crossing his arms over his chest like it was supposed to intimidate them or show authority of some kind. “We’re going to need as much back-up as we can get in the smallest amount of time. Anyone who can get here fast.”

 

“Well, we haven’t heard from the Legends in weeks,” Iris explained. “And Supergirl is in her own universe, off world. So, I guess we’re calling Team Arrow.”

 

Queen nodded. “All the hands they can spare to help. We need to make sure all the help you can muster is here.”

 

The way Queen said that made Len uncomfortable, but maybe that was just because he didn’t like Oliver Queen, regardless of the universe.

 

“What about Joe, Wally, and Harry?” Barry asked.

 

“Harry’s in the workshop, Joe’s on his way here, and Wally ran off across the world somewhere,” Cisco answered.

 

“Good,” Queen said. “We’ll need everyone together once your friends get here.”

 

It wasn’t an unreasonable request, but Len noticed Other Universe Cisco shifting nervously. His eyes kept slipping over to Len, then flickering away when he noticed Len looking back.

“--rtex is the best place for all of us to gather,” he caught Iris saying, breaking him from his thoughts. “It’s big enough and has all of our equipment.”

 

She turned to lead Queen, Sara, and Mick out of the lab and down the hall, Cisco and Caitlin following close behind. The other Cisco moved like he was going with them, but, before he made it to the door, Len grabbed him by the arm and pinned him to the wall.

 

“What’s really going on?” he demanded. “Something’s up--I can tell by the way you keep fidgeting.”

 

Cisco swallowed hard, his expression steeling. “You can’t trust them--not even Barry. That’s all I can tell you, except that, when the time comes, don’t push the button.”

 

He wasn’t as shaky and fearful as the Cisco Len was used to, and it threw Len off. What kind of world did these people come from?

 

Cisco pushed him away and scurried after his friends, leaving Len with a hell of a lot of questions.

 

\----------

 

Barry rode the elevator down from the top floor of Watchtower down to mission control. The red alert alarms started flashing only fifteen minutes after Oliver and the others left. The resistance were attacking a prison transport convoy taking new arrestees to the rehabilitation facilities.

 

When he stepped out, Kara, Dinah, and Dig were all preparing to go out. Kara looked up and smiled. “Hey, Barry. We’ve got this.”

 

“Yeah,” Banshee said, “it’s not that big of a deal. From what we’ve seen, the most powerful rebel out there is the Flash, and Kara can handle him.”

 

 _The Flash_...The name still shook him to the core.

 

“Bare, you okay?” Gladiator grabbed his shoulder, his face twisted with worry.

 

Barry smiled. “Yeah, fine. Just…”

 

Dig grinned. “It’ll be fine. You can monitor us from here.”

 

Barry glanced around the room and frowned. “Where’s everyone else?”

 

“J’onn is handling an escalation in Southern Asia, Nate and Ray are in their room, and Caitlin is in her lab. Everyone else is off duty.”

 

That sounded right. Something gnawed at him, though. He took a seat behind the monitors and shook the worry away. “I’ll be on the comms if you need me.”

 

They all nodded and stepped on the transport pad, beaming away in a line of blue light. Barry sat back and watched the screens. Watchtower fell silent. Barry leaned the chair back, letting the quietness of space wash over him. It was nice not to think, not to debate over his memories or feelings. Being in space was just tranquility.

 

“Enjoying the view?”

 

He startled and jumped to his feet. Amaya Jiwe-- _Menagerie,_ since her Justice Lord granddaughter used Vixen--stood feet behind him, arms crossed over her chest.

 

“You’ve got some nerve breaking in here,” Barry snarled. Lightning crackled off his body, but he knew it was for show. He didn’t want to kill her. Why didn’t he want to kill a member of the resistance? He’d killed before, for the good of the world.

 

“C’mon man.” Barry spun again. Rene--Riot--was approaching from behind the transport pads. “Come with us quietly. We don’t wanna make this painful for you.”

 

“If he _is_ Impetus,” Isis approached from the other side of the pads, “I don’t mind roughing him up a bit.”

 

“That’s not why we’re here, Zari,” Amaya said. “We’re here to detain him, not hurt him.”

 

Isis rolled her eyes but walked slowly towards him like the others--like he was a wild animal they were trying to catch.

 

“Good luck with that,” Barry spat, preparing for a fight. “If you wanted that, you should’ve brought more firepower.”

 

“They did.”

 

He turned just in time to see Cynthia Reynolds--Charmer--before he was thrown backward by a vibe attack. He hit the floor hard--hard enough to knock him dizzy. Riot, Menagerie, Isis, and Charmer surrounded him, and everything went black.

 

\----------

 

Len and Harry remained in the cortex when Team Arrow arrived. Barry practically ran downstairs to see him, which Len tried not to be jealous of, and the breachers all lingered behind. They...unsettled him.

 

Sara looked everywhere but at him.

 

Mick sometimes glanced over at him, and it was always like Len was a million miles away.

 

Queen glared at him like he was a pest, one that was necessary but would be exterminated the second he wasn’t.

 

Other Cisco hung around Regular Cisco’s station, grinning at the computers like they were old friends. Something told Len that, in whatever world they came from, Cisco didn’t smile much. Probably something to do with his cryptic warning.

 

Len hung around the edges of the room, not turning his back on any of them. He wanted to ask about the warning, but Queen never let Cisco out of his sight. There was an air of distrust between them that spiked his curiosity.

 

Less than ten minutes later, Barry and the others came tromping back inside with Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, and John Diggle. The rest of their team--or the other Star City team, he didn’t keep up with whatever unnecessary drama they cooked up six-hundred miles away--must have stayed behind.

 

“Is this everyone?” Other Queen asked, drawing Team Arrow’s attention.

 

Felicity’s jaw dropped. “Wow...two Olivers. That’s...that’s nice.” Len rolled his eyes. She was all but salivating.

 

Queen looked over his doppelganger with distaste. Without responding, he turned to Barry. “Why are we here? You said it’s an emergency.”

 

“A few hours ago, these four breachers showed up in the Speed Lab,” Barry explained, nodding towards Other Queen, Other Cisco, Sara, and Mick. “They said that there were dangerous criminals from their earth, who escaped justice and are planning an attack here. They thought we needed reinforcements.”

 

Len could tell that Queen was buying their story as much as he was. Some of it was true, but most of it sounded like bologna. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. Something was still not sitting well with Barry, how he’d accepted the visitors so easily, with hardly any questions. Then, there was Other Cisco’s warning--don’t trust any of them, not even Barry. What could the breacher possibly know that they didn’t?

 

He realized he had completely zoned out of what they were saying, and Other Cisco was already explaining something.

 

“--rrorists is named Roy Bivolo. He’s a meta that controls--”

 

“Emotions,” Cisco finished for him. “Yeah, we have one here.”

 

Other Queen nodded. “He has special tech that amplifies his powers, so it can affect a wider spread area. Tremor developed something that should protect you all.”

 

Other Cisco pulled a pouch out of his pocket and pulled out a small microchip.

 

“If you attach these to the back of your necks, they should keep you safe.”  He handed one to Queen and his team, then to Cisco, Caitlin, Harry, Iris, and Barry. They all pressed them on their necks. When Cisco handed him his, though, he widened his eyes in warning.

 

Len accepted the chip, but only mimed putting it on his neck.

 

“What’s the plan now?” Queen asked. Other Queen smirked darkly, and Len knew something was about to go down.

 

“Now…” he pulled what looked like a remote detonator out of his pocket, “our invasion begins.”

 

Before any of the others could react, he pushed the button. Electricity arched off their bodies as they all spasmed in pain, trying in vain to rip the chips off their necks. All except for Barry.

 

Len lashed out, firing his cold gun at Other Queen and moving away from Barry as fast as he could. Mick and Sara started to move in, but Len pointed his gun their way. “I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but you’re going to let me and the others go, or I’ll make popsicles out of every last one of you.”

 

Other Queen, who had avoided Len’s blast easily, grabbed Barry by the arm and pressed a dagger to his throat. “If you don’t lower your weapon and surrender, I’ll kill him.”

 

Barry’s eyes widened with fear, and Len couldn’t help but hesitate. Other Cisco’s warning melted from his mind, replaced by ‘danger’ and ‘protect’. His grip tightened on his gun as he debated between the man he loved and every instinct in his body.

 

The knife dug into Barry’s skin. His eyes begged Len to do what he said. With a scream, he dropped his gun to the floor and fell to his knees, hands behind his head. “Now, let Barry go.”

 

Other Queen looked at Barry and smiled. “Sure.” He lowered his weapon and tucked it back into his belt. Barry didn’t move the entire time.

 

Finally, Other Cisco’s warning hit him. “No...tell me you’re not, Scarlet.”

 

But Barry didn’t deny it. In fact, he took a pair of cuffs from Sara and knelt at his side “I really am sorry. I hope you know that.”

 

Len shook his head. The evidence was in front of him the whole time--his strange behavior, odd ticks, the way he tried so hard to get closer to Len.

 

Other Queen smirked. “Impetus was our first agent through. He’s been scouting for us for the past six weeks.”

 

Six weeks. Barry had been gone six weeks, and Len hadn’t even noticed. What kind of shit boyfriend was he?

 

‘Impetus’ cuffed him as gently as possible, which somehow was worse than bruising him. Before he stood back up, he pressed a kiss to Len’s cheek. Len wished he could burn the feeling off his skin. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

 

Without warning, he was backhanded hard, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.


	4. Chapter 4

Barry was trapped. He’d woken up hours ago in a lighted suspension beam, holding him above the ground and keeping him from using his powers. He tried to convince himself that Oliver would find him, or Cisco when they came back, but somehow it didn’t comfort him.

 

The Lords wouldn’t find the resistance if they didn’t want to be found. They’d been trying to track them for years, but Hartley was smart and knew how his husband worked. It was easy to avoid Cisco’s tracking.

 

Eventually, a door opened, pouring light into the room. Two figures walked inside, one male and one female.

 

“Well, well,” the female said. “Maybe Hartley was right. It never would’ve been this easy to grab you before.”

 

Iris West’s voice should’ve been nails on a chalkboard. He hated her more than anything. He remembered all the animosity they held between them. But, for some odd reason, his anxiety melted away when he heard her voice. He wanted to smile, to laugh. Wanted to be loved.

 

He pushed those feelings deep and sneered. “Wither. Let me down or kill me. I’m not telling you anything about the Justice Lords.”

 

Wither didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to the man beside her--Hartley Rathaway, he assumed--and started to whisper. He couldn’t pick up on what they were saying, but the conversation was becoming very heated.  

 

Finally, Wither sighed and stepped closer into the light, so Barry could see her face. Her hair was braided against her head and white. Her lips were emerald green. She wore a green leotard and no shoes. Most would take one look and be unintimidated, but Barry knew better. Iris was brilliant, deadly, and quick as a whip. And that was without her powers. She didn’t wear shoes because it made her more powerful to touch the ground with her bare skin, to channel the force of nature through her body.

 

He was in awe of her.

 

She frowned and tilted her head as she looked Barry over. “Hartley here has told me that you’re not Impetus. You’re the Flash--a doppelganger from another world, brainwashed and manipulated into thinking you belong here.”

 

Barry snorted. “And what do _you_ think?”

 

“I’m not sure yet,” she said. “You do seem different. You aren’t glaring daggers and haven’t threatened my life yet. I suppose it could be possible, given Hartley’s source.”

 

Barry’s eyes narrowed. Hartley had a source inside the Justice Lords? That meant a betrayer in their midst, someone that needed to be vetted and….

 

And what? Killed? The thought used to sit okay with him, given that traitors of the Justice Lords put the entire state of the world in trouble. Now, it turned his stomach.

 

“What do you want from me, Iris? To betray Oliver? To betray the Justice Lords?”

 

Wither’s eyes widened. “But not Len?”

 

His heart fell. “What?”

 

“You founded the Justice Lords under the ideals of never allowing evil to take someone the same way Len was taken. At least, that’s what you told me the first time you tried to kill me. Now, you’re talking about Orion.”

 

Barry opened his mouth to say something snappy back, but Wither motioned behind her, and Barry fell to the floor. When he pushed himself to his feet, Wither stepped into the light field.

 

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “You gonna kill me?”

 

She shook her head. “No. You’re going to kill me. The power dampening field is gone. You can kill me and escape easily.”

 

Barry vibrated his hand, just to make sure she was telling the truth. She was right--he could kill her easily. Bring down the resistance in one swoop and take down his greatest enemy.

 

“What’s the catch?

 

Wither shrugged. “No catch. I just want to see you do it.”

 

Power coursed through his veins. He would never get a chance like this again. He could hold Iris West’s heart in his hands and crush it into ashes. He flashed to her and grabbed her by the throat. True to her word, she made no move to defend herself.

 

“I’ve been waiting for this a long time,” he growled, tightening his grip.

 

_Central City believes in The Flash, so do I._

 

The voice came from nowhere, echoing through his head loudly. He tried to shake it out as he stared into Iris West’s eyes.

 

_Barry...you came back to me._

 

_Strength without faith means nothing. We need to have faith that we can get through this. Together._

 

_You’re my best friend, Barry. I will always support you._

 

_Come back to me, Barry...come home._

 

He didn’t even realize he dropped Wither until he fell backward, tumbling gracelessly to the floor. He gasped for breath. What was that? Deep down, he knew.

 

They were memories of an old life, one where Iris meant the world to him, where she and Len were the only two people who could get through to him at times. His first love. His foster sister. His best friend.

 

But that wasn’t him. It was the _other_ Barry...wasn’t it?

 

A gentle hand brushed hair out of his face. When Barry looked up, Iris was kneeling at his side, a pitying frown on her face. “Oh, honey,” she whispered. “What has Orion done to you?”

 

\----------

 

Len was awoken by yelling and pounding. He opened his eyes, the light blinding him for a moment and causing his head to pound even more. When he was finally able to focus, he sighed.

 

He was in a cell in the Pipeline. All of them were. Across from his cell was Oliver Queen’s. Next to his was Cisco. Then Felicity and Harry. He could only assume that Iris, Caitlin, and John Diggle were on his side of the room. Joe hadn’t made it to the meeting--so far, that seemed like their only hope of escape. Cisco made the Pipeline completely inescapable without outside help, even for Len.

 

“Everyone okay?” he called out. There were collective groans as answers, which he took as a yes. “West, how’s the baby?”

 

“They put Caitlin in here with me to keep an eye on it,” she called back.

 

“The baby is okay,” Caitlin answered. Len blew out a sigh of relief. Some good news, at least.

 

“I can’t believe Barry just betrayed us like this,” Cisco said, sliding down the wall of his cell. He looked so lost and sad, like he really thought their Barry would ever do that.

 

“He’s a different Barry,” Len explained. “A double agent from another universe, sent to manipulate us and report our weaknesses. And we gave them to him.”

 

“So,” Felicity said, “where’s _our_ Barry?”

 

Len sighed. “I want to say safe, but I can’t believe that with these people.”

 

The door to the Particle Accelerator opened, and Orion and Impetus walked in, flanked by other Cisco. It was so obvious now that Impetus wasn’t Barry. He’d dyed his hair blonde--the color he’d had before, Len assumed--and wore a suit similar to Zoom’s. His face was steel, his eyes focused, and all that nervous energy Barry usually carried was gone.

 

“I see you’ve all woken up,” Orion said. “Good. I’m going to make this as painless as possible. As of right now, you’re all hostages. Our army will come to this Earth and purge it of all crime and evil, just as we did on our Earth. If you decide to stick with the program, we will make adjustments for you to live in this world. If not, you will be eliminated.”

 

Len snorted. “And what gives you the right to come onto our Earth and tell us how to run it?”

 

Orion sneered at Len, and for the first time since he arrived, the mask of pageantry was lifted, and Len could see the true, deep hatred that Orion held for him. Luckily, Impetus stepped between them and approached the glass door to Len’s cage.

 

“Please, we’re trying to help.” He touched the glass and stared mournfully at Len. “I’m trying to save you.”

 

“Save me from what?” Len asked. “Because I’m locked in a cage, Barry, and the only thing that’s threatening me is you.”

 

Impetus flinched away like Len had slapped him. He turned his head away. “You’re hurt right now,” he whispered. “I get that. But you’ll all see soon. This is a kindness.”

 

Len wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince--himself or them. “Please. If you’re anything like my Barry, you know this is wrong. Whatever you’re planning, people are going to get hurt.”

 

“Only the guilty ones.”

 

“So you’re judge, jury, and executioner now?” he shot back. “I’m sure your mother would be so proud of you.”

 

Impetus squeezed his eyes shut and backed over to Orion, who was watching Barry’s doppelganger with a blank expression. “Barry,” he said, “why don’t you go upstairs and wait for Detective West to show up?”

  


Impetus nodded and, with one sad look back at Len, flashed away, the other Cisco running after him. Orion paused for a moment, making sure that Impetus was gone, before approaching Len’s cell himself.

 

“The last Leonard Snart I faced off with met...unfortunate circumstances.”

 

Len frowned. That explained some things.

 

“If you think for one second that you’re going to turn Barry against me, I’d like to remind you that I have a Barry on my Earth just _gagging_ for me to come back.” A smirk grew across his lips as Len’s face grew hotter and hotter with fury. “I wonder what’ll happen when I go back?”

 

He didn’t even realize he’d punched the glass until Orion stepped back with a laugh. The door didn’t even shake, and the glass didn’t crack, but Len’s knuckles bled as he struck the glass again and again.

 

“If you touch him…”

 

Orion raised an eyebrow. “If?”

 

Len wanted to kill him in a way he’d only felt with his father. He wanted to freeze Orion and shatter him. Orion strolled out of the prison, a smug smile on his face.

 

\----------

 

Cisco finally caught up to Barry in the cortex. He was staring at The Flash suit--the classic one that he always wore before the world changed. Cisco remembered the days they spent in STAR Labs, saving lives instead of ruining them.

 

Not that Barry saw it that way. Because of Orion, his grief was weaponized. He was turned into a warhead to rip through armies and overthrow governments. Orion wound him up and let him go, and Barry made him king of the mountain.

 

He thought he was doing the right thing. That’s what Cisco told himself. Barry was hurt and broken, and once Orion was gone, he would go back to being Cisco’s best friend, the hero he knew he was.

 

“He hates me.”

 

The whisper echoed through the cortex, breaking Cisco’s heart with each syllable. Barry glanced back over his shoulder.

 

“I still love him, even this version of him. He hates me so much, though. And he’s right to. I stole his love, took advantage of him, and helped with the invasion of his Earth. I’d hate me, too.”

 

Cisco walked over and laid a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Bare. You’ve been through a lot--more than most of us. Do you think...maybe this is a sign?”

 

Barry turned to his best friend with a frown. “What do you mean?”

 

Tread carefully, young traveler. “I mean, you’ve been doing all of this to avenge Len, and maybe this is a sign he wouldn’t want you to do this.”

 

Barry sighed. “Oliver says that this is how we can get peace. This is how we stop the Legion from hurting anyone ever again.”

 

“Maybe Oliver isn’t always right,” Cisco replied. “You always talk about corruption in governments and organizations, but Oliver is human, Barry. Maybe his intentions aren’t always entirely selfless.”

 

Barry’s frown deepened, so Cisco pulled him into a hug. “Look,” he said, “I don’t care about Justice Lords or Oliver Queen or any of it. I’m with you. I’m here for you. Whatever you do, whatever choice. You’re my best friend, and I’ll never abandon you.”

 

Barry shook in his arms, and he thought he could hear him choke out a sob. Cisco just pulled his best friend closer, praying that Hartley would keep his word about protecting Barry in the insurgency to come.


	5. Chapter 5

Barry was sitting, one arms cuffed to the wall, in the corner of the resistance headquarters. The other members still weren’t completely convinced he wasn’t a threat, but then again, Barry wasn’t convinced either. There was so much bouncing around in his head, he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. 

 

He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes.

 

“Hey.”

 

He opened his eyes to see Hartley Rathaway kneeling in front of him with a water bottle. “I thought you might be thirsty.”

 

Barry accepted it with a tiny smile. “Thanks. I’m assuming Cisco is the mole in the Justice Lords?”

 

Hartley raised an eyebrow, as if to say ‘why would I tell you?’. 

 

Barry nodded to the ring on his finger. “Last I checked, people only continue wearing their rings when they’re still together, most of the time happily.” He stared at the bottle in his hand. “I remember when you first got married. Or maybe I don’t. Maybe they’re the memories of some other Barry I’ve been manipulated into being. Anyway, the way the two of you looked at each other...it never made sense that he’d choose the Justice Lords over you.”

 

“He didn’t,” Hartley replied. “He chose you. Or rather, your doppelganger. Cisco doesn’t trust Oliver Queen, never has. He wanted to watch your back, and I agreed that he should. Your doppelganger was broken when his husband was murdered. Cisco took care of him, let him stay with us for a few months, but then, Orion got his claws into him and convinced him that the Justice Lords were the way to go.”

 

There were so many voices arguing in his head, talking about Orion being an evil son of a bitch, or him being the leader the world needed. He could figure out which voice was  _ his _ .

 

“Don’t worry,” Hartley reassured, laying a comforting hand on Barry’s leg. “We’re calling someone in to deal with your memories, clear everything up. She isn’t a member of the resistance, and she isn’t a Justice Lord, so she has no reason to lie to you. She’s going to fix you.”

 

Barry nodded, taking a very long drink from his water. “If I’m not this Earth’s Barry...if Orion and the Justice Lords were messing with my head…”

 

He suddenly felt nauseous. He thought back on his night with Orion--how eager Oliver had been, the pleasure he’d taken in Barry submitting so easily, the possessive words he’d whispered into his ear the entire time he was taking advantage of him. 

 

“I know what Orion did,” Hartley whispered, eyes anywhere but Barry’s face. “At least, I know what he was after, what he wanted from you. I wish we had gotten to you sooner.”

 

“He raped me, didn’t he?” Barry asked. “That’s exactly what it was. He brainwashed me for weeks, locked me in a tiny cell, convinced me that it was completely normal, and then fucked me because I didn’t know to stop him. There are memories and emotions in my head...he planted those, right? So I would go along with his perversion and be his little sex prisoner or whatever.” 

 

Hartley sighed. “If it makes you feel better, that’s not what he wants from you. Or Impetus or whoever. We have reason to believe that he’s wanted Impetus long before the Justice Lords, that he wants to make the world his empire and put you either at his side or his feet. With him, I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”

 

Barry snorted. “More like on my back.” He remembered the way Orion had grabbed him until he bruised, had used him again and again, marked him. It made him feel violated and disgusted. 

 

“We’re going to make him pay,” Hartley promised. “We will do everything in our power to make sure that Orion suffers for all the pain he’s caused.”

 

“Can you erase memories?” he asked. “Erase everything he did to me--the torture, the brainwashing, the…” He swallowed hard, trying to block it all out. 

 

Hartley sighed. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve to take on the problems of our Earth. But, as far as we can tell, you’re his weakness.”

 

Barry raised an eyebrow. “You mean Impetus?”

 

Hartley shook his head. “Not the way Cisco tells it. Impetus...I think he’s come to the conclusion that Impetus will never be what he wants. He’s too fractured from Len’s death. You, though...he’s trying to mold you into the Impetus he wants. He’s put too much work into this to toss you away now. Of everyone, I think you’re the only person he wouldn’t be willing to kill.”

 

A disgusted feeling washed over him. “Because he sees me as a toy to play with?”

 

“No.” Hartley lowered his eyes. “Because you’re his Galatea. His masterpiece.” 

 

Barry wanted to throw up. His skin was crawling. Luckily, Iris came in with a hooded figure about that time and headed straight for them. When the figure removed her hood, Barry didn’t recognize her at all. 

 

“Barry,” Iris said, “this is M’gann. She’s a martian, like J’onn, but she’s a neutral party. She’s going to help pick through your memories and get rid of the fake ones that Orion had Martian Manhunter put in. Is that okay?”

 

Barry gave her a small nod. “Will…” He paused, not knowing how to ask what he wanted. This wasn’t his Iris. She wasn’t his first love, she didn’t sit up late at night when Barry couldn’t sleep. He needed her, though. “Will you sit with me while she does?”

 

Iris frowned and tilted her head. “Why?”

 

He licked his lips nervously. “My Iris is my best friend. I always feel safer with her. And I know you aren’t her, but...I still trust you.” 

 

She still seemed unsure, but she took a seat beside him and took his hand. The tension in him melted away. “Okay, I’m ready.”

 

M’gann sat in front of him. “This is going to feel strange, but I promise, I won’t hurt you if I can avoid it. If you ask me to stop, I will, regardless of what anyone else wants. Do you understand?”

 

Barry took a deep breath and nodded. M’gann closed her eyes, and Barry did the same.

 

—————

 

Len wished he had a baseball to throw against the glass. It’d been hours since Orion left, and as far as he could tell, it was going to be a bit before they got anymore visitors. 

 

“Is it terrible to say that I’m bored?” Cisco called out. “Like, I’m not saying that I want them to come back and torture us or anything, but it would be better than this. I’m sick of staring at the same stain on the floor. Which, by the way... _ ew. _ ”

 

Despite their situation, Len laughed. “I hate to break it to ya, but I’m pretty sure if that Arrow wannabe is going to torture anyone, it’ll probably be me.”

 

“Yeah, he seemed to love you,” Iris spoke up. 

 

Cisco nodded in agreement. “What do you think that’s all about?”

 

Len and Queen shared a look from across the room. Both knew exactly what it meant, but saying it out loud somehow made it feel worse. Len sighed. “He killed my doppelganger because he wants Barry.”

 

Felicity gasped. Cisco sat straighter. He could sense the others listening attentively. 

 

“How do you know?” Diggle asked. 

 

He nodded to Oliver, not wanting to voice his own observations. “You all saw how possessive he was over his Barry. How he was ready to kill Snart the second he spoke. Then, there was what he said to Len about touching Barry. He didn’t mean torture.”

 

Len closed his eyes. He’d hoped that he’d imagined that part. Picturing that evil son of a bitch touching his Barry made him want to freeze every appendage he had off his body. 

 

At least three of the others gasped. The rest stayed silent. 

 

“And how do you know their Len is dead?” Felicity asked, her voice barely above a whisper. This time, Oliver and Len were spared having to answer.

 

“Because their Barry was so happy to see him,” Harry replied, sitting on the floor with his back to the glass. “He was so in love and so desperate to cling to our Snart. It’s because he doesn’t have one anymore. Something had to start all this, after all.”

 

Len frowned. He’d assumed his doppelganger was dead, but to think that his death had started something this horrific… “You think Barry would go this far if I died?”

 

Harry shrugged. “With the right push and motivation, people can be convinced to do all kinds of things. I’m willing to bet that Orion had something to do with it, and that Barry wasn’t the only one who he manipulated.”

 

Len thought about that. “You mean Mick. He’s a Justice Lord because I died.”

 

Harry nodded. “I doubt Orion was forthcoming to anyone over the true nature of your death. He probably put it off on a criminal to convince the others that they’d let things get out of hand. I’m also willing to bet that, if you ask the others, there’s at least one other casualty that caused this.”

 

The door slid open before they could continue their conversation. Other Cisco walked in, all stance of Justice Lord gone. Once the door closed, he pushed some buttons to lock it. 

 

“I’ve fixed all the security cameras in this room so that no one knows I’m here,” he said. 

 

“Oh, god,” Cisco groaned from his cell, “they  _ are  _ going to torture us.”

 

Other Cisco frowned. “No, I’m trying to help you.”

 

The others looked ready to protest, so Len spoke up. “I believe him. He tried to help me escape when the Lords knocked everyone out. He doesn’t want this, either.”

 

Other Cisco gave him a nod. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Impetus, but there’s only so much I can do here while maintaining my cover.”

 

“Your cover?” Cisco asked, crossing his arms. His doppelganger nodded. 

 

“I’m a member of the Resistance. Well, technically, my husband is.”

 

Cisco’s eyebrows shot up at that, but Len ignored his reaction. 

 

“I joined to keep an eye on things,” Other Cisco continued. “When I was told what was going to happen to your Earth, the Resistance and I knew that it was time to act.” He looked to Len. “Your Barry's with their leader, Wither. Orion...he did some terrible things to his mind, but otherwise he’s unharmed. Once the Resistance restores your Barry’s memories, my husband will bring him here.” 

 

“Why are you helping us?” Oliver asked. “Why do you care?”

 

Other Cisco sighed. “This...this Barry... _ my Barry’s  _ fault. Orion is a master manipulator. He’s been trying to convince Barry this was the way to go for almost a decade. He trusts him explicitly. He doesn’t question that Oliver knows best.”

 

“He’s trusting and hopelessly naive,” Len said. “Sounds like Barry Allen.” 

 

Queen nodded in agreement, but Other Cisco frowned. “That’s not my experience with your Barry Allen at all. Orion kept him locked in The Tomb on Watchtower for weeks, pumped him with drugs and used other stimuli to get him to believe the lies the Lords were planting in his head with telepathy, and he  _ still  _ fought and refused to give in. He pulled a knife on Orion and almost killed him before the brainwashing finally kicked in, and that was just because of the adrenaline. Once that died down, I could still see doubt in his eyes.”

 

Len’s heart froze. The Justice Lords had hurt his Barry, drugged him, tortured him, and then Orion  _ dared  _ to…

 

He clenched his fists and pushed that thought away. “What does he want with Barry?”

 

“At first, I thought he just wanted secrets about your Earth and defenses. Now, though...you need to understand that Oliver used to be married to a woman named Laurel Lance.”

 

“Black Canary,” Felicity said. “Or Black Siren. We’ve had both.”

 

Other Cisco shook his head. “Laurel wasn’t a vigilante on our Earth. She was the United States Attorney General. She and Oliver got married right after Barry and Len started dating. Then, not too long after, she was found murdered. People assume it was Damien Darhk, since she was pushing hard against the Legion of Doom, but…”

 

“...you don’t believe that,” Oliver said. “You think Orion killed her, Iike he killed Len.”

 

Other Cisco shrugged. “Doesn’t matter what I think. I have no proof of either. Public record says that Laurel Lance and Leonard Snart were murdered by the Legion of Doom. Now, they’re all lobotomized and used as servants around Watchtower.”

 

“Oh my god,” Iris gasped. “Barry did that?”

 

Other Cisco nodded. “He was pushed too far, and the person he trusted told him he did the right thing. I...I don’t want Barry to go to prison for this. I think that, without Orion, he needs some psychiatric help, and he’ll be able to live his life again. He hasn’t reached the point of no return yet. I want to save him. When you all out of here, will you promise not to hurt him?”

 

Len nodded immediately. There was no world where he could purposely kill Barry. Other Cisco looked to every other prisoner, who all nodded or spoke affirmatives. 

 

“Good.” Other Cisco walked over to a maintenance hatch in the floor and threw it open. A familiar head popped out.  

 

“Joe!” 

 

The older detective climbed out of the trapdoor, followed by Wally and DA Cecile Horton-West. 

 

Other Cisco gave them a nod before turning to Len. “I can’t help you escape, but I may have helped them sneak in. I can’t be tied to this, or else my mission will end before it’s even begun. However, I will leave you some advice—Impetus will never hurt or kill Leonard Snart. He’d rather die. That’s his weakness. Orion doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself, and he will do whatever it takes to get what he desires.”

 

He turned to leave. 

 

“Wait!” Len called after him. Other Cisco paused. “You didn’t tell us—what does Orion want with Barry?”

 

Other Cisco lowered his eyes and sighed. “Let’s hope you never find out.” 

 

With that, he opened a breach and jumped through, disappearing from the prison. 

 


End file.
